The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, and more particularly, to a resume function for reproducing the work state that existed when a power source was turned off of the processing apparatus, upon turning on the power source again. The present invention also relates to a resume function in an information processing system which has a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected through a network.
Thanks to the advance of small device mounting techniques and development of power consumption reducing techniques in recent years, personal computers, work stations, word processors and so on (hereinafter they are called xe2x80x9cinformation processing apparatuses havexe2x80x9d) become increasingly smaller in size, and even notepad-size products operable with a battery have recently been brought to the market. Such battery driven information processing apparatuses require a user to frequently shut off the power supply either manually or automatically in order to prevent the battery from being consumed in a short time. However, when the power source is to be turned off, the user is required to store user information, for example, a document under processing and so on, in a non-volatile storage unit, and moreover, when the power source is to be turned on again, the user must recall a program and the thus stored user information from the non-volatile storage unit. For this reason, such frequent turning-off of the power source causes a problem that efficient use of the apparatus is less likely for the user.
To attend to this problem, it is now common for a battery driven information processing apparatus be provided with a so-called resume function is to store the contents of a display memory, I/O registers of input/output devices and so on in a main memory, and preserve the contents of the main memory by backing up the same with a battery before turning off the power source such that when the power source is again turned on, the contents of the display memory, the I/O registers of the input/output devices and so on preserved in the main memory are written back to the respective devices, and a state upon turning off the battery is reproduced as if the apparatus had been kept operating. Information processing apparatuses having such a resume function are disclosed, for example, in JP-A-57-17042 and JP-A-2-93814.
As described above, the resume function provides an excellent information processing apparatus which can reproduce a user""s work state upon again turning on the power source and does not cause the degradation of the usability of the apparatus even if the power source is frequently turned off to reduce the consumption of the battery. However, the resume function hitherto provided in information processing apparatuses does not allow the user to perform another operation while preserving a work state. Also, when a plurality of users use a single information processing apparatus in which a user has preserved a work state using the resume function, another user, when turning on the information processing apparatus, will see the preserved work state of the previous user, thereby presenting unfavorable problems regarding security and utility.
Also, since the main memory is backed up by a battery to preserve a work state, the work state can be preserved only for a limited time period according to the capacity of the battery.
Further, the resume function hitherto provided in information processing apparatuses allows the user to reproduce a previous work state only on the same information processing apparatus in which the user interrupted a work and preserved the corresponding work state, thereby preventing the user from operating the same work on different apparatus at various locations.
The conventional resume function provided in information processing apparatuses further implies a problem that a connection state to a network cannot be correctly reproduced.
The conventional resume function provided in information processing apparatus further presents a problem that a message such as electronic mail transmitted through a network cannot be received during an automatic power-off state for reducing power consumption.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which is capable of preserving and reproducing a plurality of work states.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which is capable of preserving a plurality of work states without backing up a memory with a battery.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide an information processing system which is capable of reproducing a work state on a different information processing apparatus from that in which a user interrupted work and preserved the corresponding work state.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide an information processing system which is capable of preserving and reproducing a work state on a first information processing apparatus operated by a user using a file in a different information processing apparatus through a network.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus having a resume function which is capable of correctly reproducing a work state upon again turning on the power source even if the information processing apparatus is turned off while connected to another information processing apparatus on a network.
It is a sixth object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which is capable of displaying a message sent from another information processing apparatus connected thereto through a network, even if the power source of the information processing apparatus is turned off.
The first object is achieved by providing plural sets of work state preservation areas for storing information in a storage unit, and reproducing a work state of the information processing apparatus based on the information in one set of the work state preservation areas specified by the operator from among the plural sets. Since work states at a plurality of times are respectively preserved in the plural sets of the work state preservation areas, respective work states of a plurality of operators or work states of a single operator at a plurality of times are preserved and reproduced.
The second object is achieved by preserving work states in a magnetic disk drive or the like which need not be backed up by a battery. Since the work states are preserved in a magnetic disk drive or the like which need not be backed up by a battery, a main memory does not require battery back-up so that no electric power is consumed during power-off state of the information processing apparatus.
The third object is achieved by providing plural sets of work state preservation areas in a storage unit of a first information processing apparatus; accessing the storage unit of the first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus through a network; and executing at least processing for storing information on work states at particular times in work state preservation areas and processing for reproducing a work state based on information stored in one set of the work state preservation areas specified by the operator from among the plural sets. Since a plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected to each other through a network, and the work state preservation areas are collectively arranged in a single information processing apparatus, the other information processing apparatuses do not require battery back-up of main memories thereof or installation of a magnetic disk drive or the like. Also, the work state can be reproduced by an information processing apparatus other than that on which the work state was preserved.
The fourth object is achieved by executing processing for storing a used state of a file in use through the network when a work state is preserved and processing for reproducing the used state of the file when the work state is reproduced. Even if another information processing apparatus in which a file being used through the network is stored sets this file in an unused state after preserving a work state of the file, since the used state of the file has been stored upon preserving the work state, the used state of the file can be reproduced on the basis of the stored contents upon reproducing the work state.
The fifth object is achieved by constantly supplying a network controller with electric power even after preserving a work state, temporarily reproducing the work state when the network controller receives a frame from the network in this state, and performing the necessary processing to maintain a connection state with another information processing apparatus. Since the network controller or a timer is kept supplied with electric power even after preserving the work state, the processing necessary to maintain the connection state with other information processing apparatuses can be continuously performed, thereby making it possible to correctly reproduce the work state when the power source is again turned on.
The fifth object is also achieved by constantly supplying the timer with electric power even after preserving a work state, temporarily reproducing the work state when the timer detects the lapse of a specified time in that state, and performing processing necessary to maintain a connection state with another information processing apparatus. Since the network controller or the timer is kept supplied with electric power even after preserving the work state, the processing necessary to maintain the connection state with the other information processing apparatus can be continuously performed, thereby making it possible to correctly reproduce the work state when the power source is again turned on.
The sixth object is achieved by constantly supplying the network controller with electric power even after preserving a work state, reproducing the work state when the network controller receives a frame from the network in that state, and displaying a message to be displayed to the user, if included in the frame. Since the network controller is constantly supplied with electric power even after preserving a work state, a frame including a message can be received and the message can be displayed to the user.
Therefore, according to the present invention, since a plurality of work states can be preserved and reproduced independently of each other, the user is allowed to perform different work while preserving a particular work state. Since work states of a plurality of users can be preserved and reproduced independently of each other, even if a plurality of users operate a single information processing apparatus to use the resume function, security and utility are not damaged. Also, a work state can be preserved without using a main memory requiring back-up by a battery, which leads to realizing the resume function on an information processing apparatus or the like which does not have a battery back-up function. Since a work state on an information processing apparatus may be preserved in a different information processing apparatus connected thereto through a network, the work state may be reproduced on an information processing apparatus different from that on which the user interrupted a work and preserved the work state, thereby providing an information processing apparatus which allows the user to operate the same work at various locations. Even if an information processing apparatus is logically connected with another one through a network, a work state can be correctly preserved and reproduced, which enables the utilization of excellent features provided by the resume function, such as improvement of user-friendly operation and reduction in power consumption, in an information processing apparatus connected to a network. Further, even when an information processing apparatus is temporarily turned off while connected to a network for the purpose of reduction in power consumption, it is automatically turned on again to display a message, if arriving at the user, whereby the resume function can be utilized without damaging the serviceability provided by an information processing apparatus connected to a network such as for electronic mail and message transmission function and so on.